Discovering Nonna’s Kitchen – a family run Italian restaurant in Morningside

Today Gino Stornaiuolo welcomes us to Nonna’s Kitchen, the fabulous Italian restaurant he runs with his family in Edinburgh’s Morningside.

While Gino and his family are dedicated to making customers feel like they’re coming into their own home, we wanted to find out why Morningside was Gino’s number one choice.

Nonna’s Kitchen has become an integral part of Morningside but why choose this location?

We’ve been here since June 2010. Previously we ran a restaurant on Hanover Street called Patio. My grandfather opened that in 1968 and my parents ran this until 2008. I believe it was only the second or third Italian restaurant to open in the city. For us Morningside was a natural fit.

You’ve enjoyed seven successful years here but have you seen many changes in this part of Edinburgh?

I don’t think Morningside has changed all much that but Edinburgh certainly has. We actually opened right in the middle of the last recession but we were lucky to get off to a great start!

If I was to pinpoint anything that has changed here, I’d say there are now more options for eating and drinking – hopefully we had something to do with kick-starting that in this area.

What first attracted you to Morningside and what makes it so special?

Morningside is an affluent area and it’s also incredibly diverse. You could be serving a family one minute and a student the next. It’s incredible. As a community, Edinburgh is really buzzing right now.

Can you share some of your favourite things about Morningside?

Above all, the sense of community. A lot of the traders here support each other. There is a dynamic that reflects the fact everyone wants each other to succeed. It feels like a small village within the city – whether it’s culture, shopping or dining, you can find almost everything you want in Morningside!

Do you have regular local customers as well as visitors to the city?

The core of our business is made up of regular customers. In essence, we’re very hands-on, so you either like us or you don’t. If you do, then we’ll see you again and again and get to know you well.

On top of that, we’ve had a great summer with our first international festival shows on this year at the Church Hill Theatre, which was fantastic.

What do you think makes this particular location so attractive for buying and renting homes?

Morningside is definitely an attractive place to live in Edinburgh. We have a theatre, we have a great independent cinema, we have lots of boutique shops . . . there’s just an incredible vibe and the sense of being part of a community right in the city.

If you’d like to experience this part of Edinburgh, why not check out the homes available for sale and rent right now at s1homes? And remember to pop by Nonna’s Kitchen if you live or are considering a visit to Morningside.